I got a new sewing machine for my Birthday!!! YIPPPEEE!! It was KILLING me to not be sewing!!! I managed to finagle some room in this teeny tiny house to put some of fabric and supplies!

This is my new machine and I LOVE IT SOOOOOO MUCH!!! It’s so easy to use! I would recommend it for beginner and intermediate sewists alike. It has so many functions. I’ve been having a blast playing around with it and seeing what it can do.

It’s also much quieter than my old one. That is a major plus! I can set my playlist on YouTube and listen to music while I sew, never missing a note.

OK, enough gushing over this miraculous machine!

I decided that it would be really nice to make a cover for it. Y’know, keep it from getting dusty (like I’ll let it sit idle long enough for THAT).

WHAT I USED

Then I took a large sheet of paper and marked the height and width of my machine, turning it into a pattern of sorts for the sides.

Next, I cut the fat quarter in half for the front and back.

Then I cut the fat quarter for the top.

Next I cut the pieces for the border on the front and back.

The last pieces I cut were the sides.

Then I pinned the top to the front (or back).

Sew the seam together.

Then do the other side (front or back) the same way.

Next sew the border pieces to the front and back.

Press your seams. Not only does it look better but it helps the seams to set.

I realized the other day that I have posted very little about homeschooling my high school kids. Most often I follow the same things I do with the younger kids BUT the lessons are MUCH more involved.

There are, however, lots and lots of different FREE sites that we use. Yes, FREE!!! And I am going to list all of those for you here.😉

Khan Academy – Most awesome site EVER!! We would never have made it through some of the upper math without it!! They also have lower level math, as well as science, history, art, economics…..

HippoCampus – Another site with higher maths, sciences, social sciences and humanities

Coursera – I have actually taken a couple of courses on Coursera and HIGHLY recommend it. A lot of the classed will give you a certificate of accomplishment at the end of the course. These are all college level courses but my kids have been able to follow along quite well.

Saylor – This site has just added a K-12 option. Math seems to be the only course they have so far and that is 6th – advanced statistics. They do have a variety of college courses, though.

All in One High School – This site has it all mapped out for you, day by day. It’s isn’t quite complete yet as far as I can tell, but it’s getting there. And everything is ONLINE!!!! I believe they may ask your child to read certain books that aren’t available online BUT they are always available at the library.

Ambleside Online – Another site that has everything laid out for you. BUT not quite everything is available online for free but there are options given.

Homeschool Share – Yes, I know, this site is geared more toward the younger set BUT you can still use a lot of the lapbooks and unit studies to get you started. All you have to do is ask for more details and add more reading, projects, etc.

Practical Pages – Notebooking is great for ALL grades, except for the very youngest, of course.😉

Donna Young – Printables for every occasion!! Even DIPLOMAS and forms for transcripts!!

So, how do WE use these sites?? Well, all 3 of my older kids use Khan Academy A LOT for math. A LOT. The other sites they use as their interests direct them or if they feel like going deeper into a topic.

We do a ton of reading. Lots and lots and lots of living books. I’ll give you some examples.

Founding Fathers

Founding Brothers

Founding Mothers

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Plutarch

Elements of Style

Lots of Isaac Asimov’s non-fiction

And pretty much anything in the non-fiction sections of the library that catches their attention.

I wish all my books were unpacked then I would have a better list for you.

Anyway, we also rely a lot on Netflix documentaries, YouTube and stuff we DVR.

Don’t forgot those field trips! Art museums, history museums, state parks, etc.

My advice? Give them a topic and set them loose to research the heck out of it. OR see what they are really interested in, then set them loose to research the heck out of it. LOL

And RELAX!!!! It’s OK!! They are learning and that’s what REALLY matters!!

HAVE FUN LEARNING!!!

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I had this really cute t-shirt that I love so much BUT it shrank to about 2 sizes too small. I sat around and thought about what I could do with it. I really wanted to still use it for myself so I went with BAG!!😀

Here is how the shirt was before! SO CUTE!!!

STEP 1 –

Cut off the sleeves!

STEP 2 –

Cut off the bottom, leaving plenty of room for the bottom seam, according to how big you want your bag to be.

STEP 3 –

Cut off the sides, going straight down from the edge of the shoulder.

STEP 4 –

Cut off the shoulder seams.

STEP 5 –

Take the bottom of the shirt that you cut off and cut in half. Then take each piece and cut at the seams so that you have 2 long strips. These will turn into the handle.

Actually…… You just need to cut it at the seam, now that I think about it. LOL

When I started making the bag, I wasn’t sure if I would make one handle or two. Since I just made one, cutting them in half isn’t necessary. You will just fold in half long ways and press.

SO, just cut it at the seam for one long piece!😉

STEP 6 –

I cut a piece of black fleece and pinned it to the wrong side of the back piece of the shirt.

Then I zigzag stitched it on making an inside pocket.

STEP 7 –

Take the long piece for the handle, fold it in half and press. Next, pin it and sew just the long side seam, making a long open ended tube.

Turn it right side out and press.

STEP 8 –

Place the handle on the RIGHT side of the back piece and pin the ends to the shoulders.

Now, pin the rest of the handle out of the way of all the edges.

STEP 9 –

Take the front of the bag and place it face down over the other parts. Line it up and pin.

Now, sew all along the edges, leaving the neck part open.

Turn it all right side out and press!!!

Now you have a great bag and you didn’t have to give away your cute tee!!!😀

I found that the handle was a little too long for my liking so I just tied a knot in it.😉

Let me know what you think!

Was this easy to follow???

If you have any questions, just leave a comment here, on Facebook or Twitter OR use the Contact Me button at the top the of the page to shoot me an email!😀